need to confess." The guard's mouth fell open and the imperator followed up quickly, "Oh, not sins. I have plenty of sins in the eyes of the Church, I'm sure. But that's not what I mean."
"I understand, lord."
Maxentius looked out the windows of his balcony door. "A decade ago, the prefects who have haunted my every move for a century died. Not in a usual sense. They allowed their minds to join. They shed their identities. They became, simply, the Prefect. Completely at one with technology." He looked at Quintus and he seemed to be interested. "Except for Etne. Stalwart Etne." He shook his head. "The only one I liked. She remained an individual and now I never see her. Regardless, the Prefect enjoys a kind of freedom that only I had before. Their thoughts can move all over the world in the blink of an eye. They exist everywhere and nowhere. And they won't be alone much longer."
Caesar paused and looked down at his hands. The guard felt brave and quietly offered, "The legates and senators? With their Cylon bodies?"
The emperor smiled and said, "Yes. In a few years, they'll pay for the privilege of dropping any kind of corporeal form. They become … energy. Thought." He shook his head. "Not even citizens anymore. Not really. The elites of Tiberia are on a road that I built." He hesitated again.
Quintus asked, "And that bothers you?"
The Caesar nodded. "Before, when I was the only one, I was in a position of great power. Now there are dozens with it. Hundreds more will follow soon." He shook his head and stabbed the table with his forefinger. "Downstairs lies my twenty-five year old body. It is waiting for my mind. I've wanted that body for generations. But if I put my mind into it, I lose whatever advantage I have. I become … human again."
Quintus was still apprehensive but he saw that the emperor was waiting. "Have you considered joining the minds of the Prefect and the others?"
"I have." Maxentius stood. "But a Caesar can't shed his identity and hope to retain power."
Slowly, Quintus stood, too. He seemed nervous still and glanced about the room. "I am sorry that I don't have an answer for you, my lord."
The emperor smiled. "I didn't expect you to. I simply wanted to talk." He reached across the table and slid the guard's helmet to him. Then his fingers pulled on the handle for the man's rifle. He hesitated. I revealed myself to this man. I revealed weakness. He picked up the weapon and handed it over. "Thank you, Quintus. I may call on you again."
After forcing the helmet over his head, the young guard placed his fist over his left breast and said, "It would be my honor, dominus."
LXX
HEPHAESTUS
12 Years Before the End
"This is amazing," Atlas said as the trio walked through the Meridian Gate into the ancient city square of Daton. "I've never been here before."
Hephaestus smiled and said, "Huban is amazing all over. It's like … everything we want Attica to be but with better food."
Zeus laughed. "I'll disagree with you on the food thing, but, yes. Huban is great."
The open brick square stretched on for another hundred meters before they would reach the steps that went up three storeys to the government building. The sloped roof was striking, standing behind a host of fluttering banners. As the Psilons walked, they heard a metallic rhythm to their left. Atlas was the first to look. "Is that …"
"A Cylon." Zeus kept walking as he watched. It looked like an old Tiberian Cylon, complete with golden metal exposed. There were, however, plastic coverings and even what appeared to be clothes. It was speaking to a small group of people. "I've heard about this."
"Huban was the first nation to open diplomatic relations with Gela," Hephaestus said. "Cylons have been coming to Daton for the last decade or so and Huban scientists have been visiting Gela."
Atlas shook his head. "What do you think they're learning?"
"Quite a lot," Hephaestus said. The three put their feet on the first step and began the arduous climb. "Have you heard about their ionocraft?"
Atlas turned toward him, "No. They built one?"
Hephaestus nodded. "Yep. Just about ready to mass produce it."
Atlas turned toward Zeus and asked, "Are we going to get in on that?" He nodded.
"Hephaestus?"
It was barely his name. The tongue that uttered it butchered it, but the three turned and saw a pair of young Huban men. "Yes?"
They smiled and said in fractured Attican, "You are Hephaestus. The Psilon engineer."
He smiled and nodded. "I am. How do you know me?"
They laughed and looked at each other. One of them said, "We follow your work." Then he thrust a magazine toward Hephaestus and held out a pen.
Hephaestus chuckled and said, "I've never had someone ask for an autograph before." He took the pen first and then the magazine. He looked down at the page and ignored the mess of Huban letters before he turned it over and saw the large photo. It was Aphrodite posed seductively while wearing what could generously be called a bit of wet fabric.
He looked toward the sky and Atlas took a step down to look over Hephaestus' shoulder. He stifled a laugh and moved away. "What is it?" Zeus said as he approached. When he saw the picture, he nodded and looked at the young men. He gave them a thumbs up and they laughed.
"You're not helping, man," Hephaestus said.
"Come on," Zeus said. "Sign the thing and let's go. Don't cause a diplomatic incident."
Hephaestus took a deep breath and quickly scribbled his name. As he was about to hand it back, he wrote, "Mine," above his signature. The men took it, thanked him in their own tongue, bowed, and walked down the steps.
The three men kept climbing before Atlas laughed and said, "How often does that happen?"
Hephaestus shook his head. "Never like that."
"Hey, she's the best advertisement Olympus has. You've seen her on posters, in videos," Zeus began.
"Yeah, yeah," Hephaestus interrupted. His face flushed with heat and he looked across the steps and saw they were even with the tall city walls. "Doesn't make it any easier to know that those two," he gestured over his shoulder down the stairs, "are going to be jerking it later to her."
Atlas laughed again. Zeus said, "You should know by now that she loves you."
Hephaestus' head drooped, "I know."
Zeus added, "She wouldn't cheat on you."
"Oh," Hephastus said, "and you'd know?"
Zeus was quiet for a second and Atlas smirked, "Yeah, he'd know."
Hephaestus stopped and looked at him, "What's that mean?"
Atlas was indignant, "You don't know?"
"Shut up," Zeus muttered.
"C'mon, everyone knows."
Hephaestus looked at Zeus. He seemed tired suddenly and Hephaestus' wide-eyed confusion didn't help. "You cheated on Hera?"
Zeus started walking up the steps again, "Can we not talk about this?"
The other two complied for a moment. Atlas leaned toward Hephaestus and whispered, "Semele."
Hephaestus thought. "Whoa. You mean … Dionysus …" Atlas nodded.
"Please," Zeus said. "We're about to go into a very sensitive meeting here. I don't want to be distracted. I need to think of ways … I don't want them to think we're as far along as we actually are." Hephaestus looked at his feet the rest of the way up. They reached the top of the steps and entered the lobby. After being greeted by a pleasant gentleman behind the main desk, they were escorted down a few levels to a waiting room.
Sitting still, Hephaestus thought. He remembered Aphrodite's tour with Eryx. He was confident nothing happened between them, but he still worried. He was still jealous. He glanced at Zeus and saw his friend looking over some notes on his wristband. I knew Zeus cheated, he thought. Why was I so surprised to hear Atlas say it out loud? He thought about his wife again. Am I worried that he would do that to me?
"Mr. Zeus, Mr. Atlas, Mr. Hephaestus." The three Psilons looked up and saw the smiling face of a
Huban bureaucrat. "I am Mr. Gan, deputy to our technology minister. Please come this way."
They stood and followed him through a corridor to a large conference room. As they entered, several other people entered from the opposite side of the room. Zeus nodded and smiled at one person. A woman. She smiled back.
"Welcome everyone," a tall man said. "We're eager to get busy, so I'll introduce myself, Tim Fen, Huban's chief technology minister." He motioned toward the woman Zeus smiled at.
She stood and bowed slightly, "I'm Berenice Callis, science minister of Attica."
Zeus stood and said, "I'm Zeus, chairman of the Olympus Institute."
Another woman, darkly complected, stood and said, "I'm Lata Fihr, science minister of Gerzeh."
Fen positioned a few computer panes in front of himself. "It is my understanding," he looked toward Zeus and smiled, "that our guests have something very special to offer us."
Zeus nodded and stood again. "Huban, Attica, and Gerzeh are the only three nations on Larsa with active space programs. Other nations wanted to invest in your technological ventures and also," he smiled, "enjoy some of the fruits of your labors. Thus, you formed the United Space Probe Agency. At the Olympus Institute, we recognize that many of the greatest technological achievements in recent years have come about because of your programs. Indeed, I'm aware you are even making plans for a moon landing. The reason we've come to you is far beyond even that tremendous effort." Hephaestus pressed a button on his computer panel and an image appeared around the table and on two large screens. "Decades ago, before they were killed, our
Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans Page 49
